skatespots of the NW

==================================================================== Skateparks =======

So, you're trying to figure out what to skate. There are 80-90 skateparks around. You can call us here at the shop and get advice and directions. You can get on skateoregon.com. You can just go streetskate. Or you can sit here and read this and then make an informed decision.

Battleground Skatepark - Huge street and bowl park. Awesome, but watch out for the idiotic bikers. Take I-5 north to the Battleground exit and then take a left on 502. Just follow the signs to Battleground and go all the way down the road until you see the park on the left. Lit up until 11pm.

Glenhaven Skatepark - Located next to Madison Highschool at NE 82nd and Siskyou. Excellent street, bowls, and pool. Take 84 east to 82nd and then go right (north) on 82nd. At the top of the hill, turn left at the light near the HS. No bikes before NOON so please get out there and regulate!

Pier Park! - The newest skatepark in Portland, Pier is located in St. Johns. It is on Lombard just past downtown St. Johns. From downtown, one way to get there is to take Hwy 30 to the St. Johns Bridge, then when you get to St. Johns take a left on Lombard. From NE or SE, one way I take is MLK (Grand) to Broadway, then down to Interstate, then veer left on Greeley and take that to Lombard, go left and then go all the way through St. Johns. The only thing to know is that Lombard kind of veers right when you hit downtown St. Johns. So when you see the St. Johns city sign, you want to veer right. The park is just up the street.

Burnside - Everyone should respect the "rules" of the park. That is mainly common sense. Would you teach your kid to drive in Beaverton during rush hour? No, so don't expect to throw beginners into a crowded session in the middle of the afternoon. Burnside is a fine place for beginners when the time is appropriate. That's in the morning, or at varied times. It is too hazardous to have inexperienced skaters mixed in with a crazy skate session. Use your best judgment and common sense. And please don't use a BMX bike at Burnside.
Burnside is located at 0 east 2nd, under the Burnside Bridge on the East Side. From MLK, take a right on Couch or Ankeny, get on 2nd and look under the Bridge.

Hillsboro - This new addition to the Portland area is the first "street" park to be seriously built. It is smooth, there is plenty of room, and the obstacles are varied and good. The trannys suck but oh well. Its amazing how simple it was to build good, interesting street stuff. To get to this one, just hop on 26 West, and go towards the beach. Just past Beaverton is Hillsboro, and you want to take the Cornelius Pass exit. It loops around and you want to take a right and go south on Cornelius Pass. Then just go a ways and you will finally get to a place that looks like it would have a skatepark. I will have to update this as soon as I figure out what that street is exactly, but you will see a plaza type spot on the corner, but you won't see the park. Turn right here and pull into the parking lot on the left. They need a sign up or something because if you actually see, the park, you've gone too far and you have to turn around. Anyway, I will get back to you about that street name, but just go check it out and you'll figure it out.
No pads required, no bikes or scooters allowed (WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!) free, outdoor, concrete.

Newberg - One of the finest skateparks in the world, Newberg is a short 25 mile drive from Portland. Newberg is smooth, open, vast, mellower, The best way to get there is kind of random however. Get on I-5 south. But don't take the Newberg exit unless you hate the interstate and would rather drive through every stoplight in every suburb between here and Newberg. If you want to just blaze directly to the park like me, you continue down I-5 until you get to the Tualatin/Sherwood exit. Go right, and follow Tualatin Sherwood road for several miles. Incidentally, if you want to warm up at Tualatin, or you have any little kids or street dogs with you, you can hang a right on Boones Ferry and hit it up. However, I would say to continue on to Sherwood and then take a left on highway 99. Newberg is the next town over. The highway runs through town, and its best to take a left on College St. Go 2 blocks or whatever and then take a right. Go a block or two and take a left on Blaine. Follow Blaine St. all the way until it turns into a gravel road. While you are at Newberg, be advised that you must wear a helmet, you cannot smoke or swear within 100 yards of the park. You cannot sell things at the park. You cannot skate in the rain. The park is closed from dusk 'til dawn. Please respect the rules of the park.

West Linn - Oh my goodness. The best, most insane park to pop up lately is West Linn. It is gnarly, smooth, tight, and serious. To get there, simply get on 205 South and take the second West Linn exit which is the 10th Street exit. Hang a right and then go right on Salamo. Follow that for a while, up the hill and through the neighborhoods. Then you get to a Safeway and a mini mall, and you should go right on Parker which is just after that. Then you see the park and you should go into the parking lot that is on the right. I've tried a few different ways to get there and I think that from SE Portland, its definitely worth it to go back to 205 and take that all the way.
No pads required, no bikes or scooters allowed, free, outdoors, concrete, pool coping - YAY.

Downtown - It is legal to skate on all downtown streets except for the bus mall, which is on 5th and 6th Avenues. It is illegal to skate on any sidewalk between the river, I-405, NW Hoyt, and SW Market. It is illegal to skate in the Park Blocks. It is illegal to skate any ledges and stuff. It is legal to just ride around from place to place. It used to be a $2500 fine, but now its a maximum $25 ticket. Have Fun!

Lincoln City - There are now two parks in Lincoln City and they are about fifty feet apart. The new one is absolutely great. There is something for everyone there, whether you're hesh, fresh, vert or street. Bring something to barbeque up at the grill. The old LC park has lights, the new one does not. To get there, simply drive to Lincoln City, and hang a left at the intersection of Subway and Dairy Queen, go up to the top of the hill and you'll see it down by the ballfield. Oh, by the way, there is ABSOLUTELY NO GOLFING ALLOWED at either of the LC parks - check out the signs.